Method of and apparatus for annealing crystallized pipe.



H. A. BARDEEN. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING CRYSTALLIZED PIP'E.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. n, I915.

1,201,134. 1 I Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

- the string. The string and bit are'rotated, mud laden fluid being pumped through. the

, strength is restored.

HUGH A. BARDEEN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGIIOR TO THE BDEEN CO3? POBATION, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFQRNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

mnrnon or AND APP i a TUS FOR ANNEALING- CRYSTAIiLIZED PIPE.

Spe cifieatiers Patent. I Patented Oct. 1%, 1916.

' Application filed February 11, 1915. Serial No. 7,490.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH A. BARDEEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State v of California, have invented a new and use;

ful Method and Apparatus for Annealing Crystallized Pipe, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to a new art, that of annealing crystallized pipe.

In the production of oil wells by the rotary system strings of drill pipe are used, a drill bit being secured to the lower end of center of the pipe and rising between the pipe and the wall of the well. In ordinary drilling two sizes of pipe, approximately four inches and six inches in diameter, are used and the string employed is often three thousand feet or more long, especially in the deep wells of California. The constant strain and jar on this drill pipe, due to the drilling operation, soon renders it unfit for further service, as the iron or soft steel from which it is formed assumes a crystalline structure. In practice after one or two wells have been drilled with a string the pipe becomes so crystallized that there is great danger of its twisting ofi in the well, thereby causingconsiderable trouble and often very great expense. Large quantities of this crystallized pipe are nowscattered through the oil fields some of it in use as drain pipe and a great deal more serving no useful purpose what- As new wells are constantly being expensive the annual loss is large. It is for the purpose of restoring this pipe to its original condition that I have developed the new art'disclosed in the following specification.

The first object of my invention is therefore to provide a method for treating crystallized pipe in the field so that The second object is to provide an apparatus in which the method can be cheaply and efficiently applied. Further objects and advantages will be made evident hereinafter.

its original In the drawings which illustrate one form of apparatus used in the new art: Figure 1 isa side elevation showing the complete apparatus as applied-to the annealing of a string of oil well drill pipe. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion'of this apparatus, a portion thereof being omitted to better illustrate the invention, and Fig. 3 is an end ,view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2.

When used in actual practice I employ storage racks 11 and 12 and a'treating platform 13, untreated crystallized" pipe being ,shown at Hand-15, pipe under treatment being shown at 16, pipe cooling being shown at 17 andfully treated pipe being shown at 18. The racks 11 and 12 may be formed of rough timber as'sliownor they may be dispensed with and the pipe 14 and 18 piled on the ground, these racks being a mere matter of convenience and forming no' part of my invention.

The treating platform .13 is preferably formed of timber bents' 20 and 21 to which is secured a plurality of supporting beams 22', these beams being so spaced that they perfectly support'the hot pipe and prevent it sagging. A cooling leerv 23 is secured to.

the beams 22 and is preferably formed of corrugated iron on a suitable framework 24. The leer 23 isof such a width as to permit the sections of drill pipe to be rolled through and.of sufiicient length to hold a considerable number of such sections, the length depending on the quickness with which it is desired to work the apparatus and the length of time it is desired to let the pipe coo The pipe is treated by passing a heavy current of electricity through it, this current not only heating the pipe to an annealing temperature but also'tending to rearrange the molecules which have assumed a crystalline relation. For the purpose of producing' this heavy current I provide a transformer 30 having a primarywinding 31 and a secondary winding 32. Current is let into the primary winding 31 from any source of alternating electric current, not shown, through wires 33. The windings 31 and 32 are linked through an iron or soft steel core 34, the windings encircling a central limb- 35 and passing inside outer limbs 36 which.

are connected to the central limb 35 by end portions '37 and 38. The transformer 30 may have a case or the form of magnetic circuit can be varied if desired without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Bus bars 40 and 41 are connected to the secondary winding 32 by means of bolts 42 and 43, the bus bar 41 being of sufiicient length so that the distance. between the extreme ends 44 and 45 of the bus bars 40 and 41 is approximately equal to the, length of the joint of drill pipe 16. Flexible jumpers 46 and 47 are formed of a plurality of flexible cables 48, these cables being secured at one end in connectors 49 and 50 secured by means of bolts 51 to the bus bars 40 and 41 and these cables being secured at the other end in connectors 52 and 53. The connectors 52 and 53 are similar in structure, each consisting of a head 54 in which the cables 48 are secured and a clamp 55 which has a hole 56 therethrough. The hole 56 is accurately drilled and reamed and has a saw cut 57 in one side thereof, lugs 58 and 59 being formed by this saw .cut. The hole 56 may be contracted by a bolt 60passing through the lug '58 and tapped in the lug 59.

Pipe terminals'6l, preferably formed of copper, are threaded at 62 to fit on the ends of the pipe 16 each terminal having a square shank 63 for the reception of a wrench and a cylindrical projection 64 which fits into the hole 56 and upon which the clamp 55 is securely locked by the bolt 60. Suitable blocks 7 0 are provided to prevent the pipes from rolling, the beams 22 having a considerable inclination, the end resting on the bent 21 being the lower.

The method of operation is as follows: A section of pipe is lifted from the rack 11 and placed on the beams 22 of the rack 13 in the position 15. The terminals 61 are then screwed on the pipe, a wrench being applied to shank 63 for this purpose. The pipe with the terminals in place is then rolled to the position 16. The connectors 53 are then secured to the projections 64, the bolts 60 being solidly screwed down for this purpose. An alternating electromotive force is then applied to the wires 33 and the core 34 is then magnetized, alternating magnetic fluxes flowing through the central limb 35 across the end 37 and 38 and through the outer limbs 36. This flux generates a low alternating potential in the secondary 32 and a current flows from this secondary through the bus bar 41 to the jumper 47 to one terminal 61 and through the pipe 16 to the other terminal, flowing from this terminal through the jumper 46 to the bus bar 40 to the other terminal of the secondary coil 32. This current is maintained on the pipe until it reaches an annealing temperature, this being generally between 1000'and 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. The connectors 53 are then removed from the projections 54 and the pipe still in a'heated condition is rolled into' the leer 23. A second pipe is then rolled into place and the terminals 61 and connectors 53 are secured in place. As soon as the leer 23 becomes filled the lowest section of pipe is removed and placed on the rack 12, the terminals 60 then being removed. By using this method a large number of pipes can be handled in a short time and after each length of pipe has been heated by the current and slowly cooled in the leer it is found that they recover. their original strength, the combined action of the heat and current releasing the molecules from their crystallized relation.

It is a well known fact that every molecule ofiron or steel is a miniature magnet. When steel is repeatedly stressed these molecules swing about from their original position into crystalline relation. The heating of the pipe diminishes the molecular attraction and the action of the current swings them vback into their original positions so that the original physical characteristics of the pipe are restored. The use of electric current therefore produces results far superior tb a mere heating. The heat is however much more efficiently applied by the use of electricity than would be possible by the use of any other heating medium. It is also possible to uniformly heat all of the pipe to the exact temperatures required so that definite and positive results can be secured. This is most important as the temperature must be regulated within narrow limits if the pipe is to regain or surpass its original strength.

Electric current being available in nearly every part ofthe California oil fields and the apparatus ,used being quite portable, it is possible to transport this apparatus to the work at a much less cost than the heavy pipe itself could be transported and at 'a much less cost than oil or gas furnaces could be erected or operated.

1 claim as my invention:

. 1. An apparatus for annealing pipe comprising an inclined treating platform, means for securing a pipe so that it cannot roll down said platform, means for passing a current of electricity through said pipe while so secured, and an inclosed leer forming an extension of the treating platform into which the heated pipe can be rolled and slowly cooled,

2. An apparatus for annealing pipe comprising a treating platform so arranged that there can be little or no distortion of the treating platform in which the pipe may be my handet Los Angeles, California, this 6th shawl 000M111. d f 1 11 day of February, 1915.

met 0 o annee ing crysta ized drill pipe which consists in heating the pipe HUGH A 5 to an annealing temperature by the use of an In presence of alternating current of electricity. I FRED A. MANSFIELD,

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set Fom) W. HARRIS. 

